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Here is Last October APN monthly report:
https://www.african-parks.org/newsroom/ceo-report-october?utm_source=Updated+strategic+list&utm_campaign=220d9a8f07-African_Parks_October_2017_CEO_s_Report3_29_2017&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1f080ba31b-220d9a8f07-326177169
Highlights on:
- the birth of cheetah cubs in Liwonde,
- big sentences to rhino and elephant poachers in Malawi,
- MOU between Chand and South Africa for the reintroduction of black rhinos in Zakouma.
- Sinia Minia agreement to be included in APN portfolio.

I was very pleased to see a familiar face in one of this morning's papers amongst the winners of this year’s Tusk Conservation Awards, the winner of the Prince William Award for Conservation in Africa 2017 is Rian Labuschagne, a very worthy winner of this lifetime achievement award. For six years from 2010 he was the Director of Zakouma National Park in Chad. The security plan that he put in place completely transformed the situation for the park’s elephants from a point where their numbers had dropped to under 450 and herds were so stressed that they were no longer breeding, to the situation now where their population is rising and has passed 500. Were it not Rian and Lorna and African Parks, Zakouma’s elephants (and much of its other wildlife) could have been lost and with them one of Africa’s great national parks. Last year they left Zakouma and returned to work for the Frankfurt Zoological Society in the Serengeti in Tanzania, where they had been based before moving to Chad. While in Tanzania Rian helped to improve the protection one of the country’s last black rhino populations the Ngorongoro Crater and prior to that he was instrumental in seeing black rhinos reintroduced to Malawi, to the rhino sanctuary established in Liwonde NP. I’ve no doubt that he could not have done so much for the conservation of Africa’s wildlife without the help of his wife Lorna, what they have together achieved is just extraordinary. While not everyone here on ST will have the good fortune to visit Zakouma, many will be able to visit (or already have visited) Ngorongoro and the Serengeti and should you be fortunate enough to see a black rhino when you're there, it will in part be thanks to Rian’s hard work.
Tusk Conservation Awards - Rian Labuschagne
Rian giving a bull elephant a drink in Zakouma
Here are a couple more Tusk videos and if you go to YouTube you can find more videos on the other winners and finalists at this year’s awards.

Here is the August 2018 APN Monthly newsletter:
https://www.african-parks.org/ceo-report/august2017
APN is working hard to reintroduce black rhinos in Zakouma in the next dry season, and are working closely with the governmente of Chad to manage the new Ennedi Natural and Cultural Reserve in the North of the country. They are also working on an extension of the area under their management in the larger Zakouma region.
Lions reintroduction in Liwonde is planned for next year, where the cheetahs are still going well.
The situation is still very dificult in Chinko because of the civil crisis in CAR.
Bangweuleu game reintrouction is going well, with large herds of pukus reintroduced in the last weeks.

Sorry this report has taken so long to get started but being as its roots were laid in 2013 then a couple of months is a mere blink of an eye! So, back in 2013, we got a very intriguing proposal for a tour of Malawi from Mary-Anne Bartlett of Art Safari, who specialise in running group painting holidays in Africa & many other places. Although we didn’t take it up at the time, heading off to Madagascar instead, we kept it “on-file” as a future possible. After “bit of a financial windfall” and very nearly 25 years after our first taste of Africa, we thought it might be nice to have a “family” holiday again, so offered our not-so-very youngsters a “one-off, never to be repeated offer” of a free holiday - not surprisingly they jumped at the chance!. I came up with 4 possibilities, including the original Malawi trip and in a democratic “single transferable vote” ballot, the Malawi trip won in the first round. After a few discussions with Mary-Anne and Lareine who runs Close Encounters Africa,the tailor-made division of Art Safari, we arrived at the ”almost silver jubilee” itinerary below, leaving LHR on the evening of 2nd June.
Day 1: Arrive Lilongwe airport & light-aircraft transfer to Nkhotakota (Bua River Lodge - 2 nights).
Day 3: Transfer to Salima Bay (Livingstonia Hotel 1 night).
Day 4: Transfer to Mumbo Island (3 nights).
Day 7: Transfer to Liwonde NP (Mvuu camp for 3 nights).
Day 10: Transfer to Zomba Plateau (Zomba Forest Lodge for 2 nights).
Day 12: Transfer to Majete Wildlife Reserve (Thawale Lodge for 3 nights).
Day 15: Transfer to Blantyre airport for international flight home.
So, late afternoon on the 2nd June saw 2 cars converge at the long stay T2 car park for our Ethiopian Airlines flight from Heathrow via Addis Ababa to Lilongwe and after a perfectly acceptable & on-time pair of flights we were met airside by a representative from Ulando Airlink who sped us through the multitude of checks that is Malawian immigration. After collecting our bags, sorting what we were going to take with us on the light aircraft to Nkhotakota & changing some money we met Eric from local agents Land & Lake Safaris who was taking the rest of our luggage and would be our driver/guide after Nkhotakota in a couple of days time.
Formalities done, we had time for a quick drink before, we were taken out to meet Stuart, pilot of the “shoe-box with wings” for our hop over to the Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve.
Although none of us are great fans of light aircraft this was as smooth & pleasant a flight as it gets
and soon the Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve
and Bua River were underneath us.
before we banked round to land at the airstrip. And yes, that airstrip is as short, sloping & tree lined as it looks!
Unfortunately, this is where things unravelled in a big way as, and the more eagle eyed amongst you may have already noticed this on the above picture, there was no-one to meet us! Initial thoughts were well, that’s OK, perhaps there are some elephants on the track or they’ve had a puncture, we’ll wait a bit, but after ~½hr it was clear that no-one was coming. This, though was just the start as there was no mobile phone signal on the airstrip and just to compound things, Stuart was anticipating heading off to the south of Lake Malawi after dropping us off, ready for an early flight the following morning. This meant we’d taken off from the long tarmac runway at Lilongwe with a heavy fuel load and wouldn’t be able to take off from the short sloping dirt strip we were on with that fuel load & 4 adult passengers
It was clearly time for some creative thinking but the best we could come up with was for Stuart to take off, climb until he had radio/mobile reception, try to contact someone and arrange for us to be picked up & taken to the lodge however if he couldn’t do that he would fly back to Lilongwe & come back again having taken fuel out or swapped aircraft & take us back to Lilongwe.
With this “plan” in place, Stuart departed and circled above us for ~30min before heading off to the south so as the shadows lengthened and only a distant warthog family for company we waited….
Time elapses very slowly when you are standing out in the middle of nowhere and previous experience of being out in the bush counts for nothing when you’re there on your own, constantly looking round and listening out for the rustle of leaves or, more optimistically, first hint of an engine noise but suddenly the familiar shape of a safari Land Rover appeared from the opposite direction we were expecting and as it got closer we all let out a huge sign of relief.
Our relief was somewhat short lived however as the occupants of the Landy knew nothing about us! It transpired that they were from Tongole Lodge (George, intern at Tongole & William, new guide) and, having no guests stopping, had taken the opportunity to go and do a bit of fishing and were heading back to the Lodge when they spotted us on the airstrip & came to investigate. They were quick to offer to take us to Tongole Lodge where although they didn’t have mobile phone reception they did have internet access so we could attempt to contact the outside world.
After a very welcome cold drink and with Skype & WhatsApp attempts proving fruitless, George offered to drive us over to Bua River Lodge (on the other side of the park!) and about half way there, as dusk was falling, a cloud of dust heralded the arrival of Sam Kamoto (African Parks Nkhotakota Park Manager) who had received a call (from David Kelly, Tongole Lodge Manager who was in Lilongwe & hence in mobile phone contact) to say that we were stranded on the airfield. Sam who at the time was in Nkhotakota town, some 1hrs drive away, had immediately dropped everything to come and pick us up and take us to the main gate where, apparently, we were to be picked up by the Nkhotakota Pottery Lodge & taken there for the night. Sam also said that according to the Park records, neither Bua River or Tongole Lodges were due to have guests but being as neither George or William had anything better to do, had never been over to Bua River Lodge and it was pretty much on-the way, we opted to call by on the way and allow Sam to get back to finish off his work. By this time it was pitch dark and sure enough Bua River was empty with only Godfrey the manager there on his own. Clearly we couldn’t stay there so we headed to the gate but, once again, there was no sign of anyone to pick us up! Unlike the airstrip however, the gate staff were still there to tell us that Sam had told them on his way out that the Pottery Lodge were on their way and would be with us “soon”. Sure enough, it wasn’t too long before the roar of a big diesel disturbed the peace and in a scene reminiscent of “Close Encounters” a bank of intense white lights pierced the darkness to announce the arrival of Harold in his ex.Berlin Fire Truck!
After saying a heartfelt thank-you to George & William, we all piled over into the truck for the 1hr journey to the Lodge where, absolutely exhausted and nerves shredded, we ended our first day in Malawi - As the old “New Labour” slogan went, things can only get better!!

Here is the last newsletter from African Parks.
Interesting is to note that Liuwa current Manager Robert Reid will take the position of Field Operation Manager in Siniaka Minia, Chad.
I have tried to find further information about this news, but I did not find anything about. APN's interest in Siniaka Minia was released in an article a couple of years ago, but no official communication from the Chadian authorities or from our preferred NGO was done until now on this matter.
I hence understand that there is a new conservation project in the air in Chad, which is great and shows the strong commitment of this country for conservation of its wildlife and natural national heritage. There are some important advances in OROA in the Swahilian ecoregion, Ennedi was declared as a World Heritage in 2015 with a project with APN to manage this area as a natural and cultural reserve, Ounianga lakes few years before, Zakouma administration was given to APN in 2010.
https://africanparksreports5.org

After 20 years, Cheetah have been reintroduced to Malawi.
https://www.african-parks.org/newsroom/press-releases/cheetahs-return-to-malawi-after-20-year-absence
Just in time for our visit, 7 days & 8hrs until we leave for Malawi

Here is the NGO 2016 anual report:
https://api.african-parks.org/system/annual_reports/downloadables/000/000/030/original/2016_African_Parks_Annual_Report_Impact_Defined.pdf?utm_source=Updated+strategic+list&utm_campaign=00923c1f87-African_Parks_February_2017_CEO_s_Report3_29_2017&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1f080ba31b-00923c1f87-326177169
There are huge efforts to reintroduce species and recover landscapes in difference parks.
- Zakouma: elephant population has reached 500 animals.
- Chinko: APN is securing a core area where wild dogs, lions, elephants and lord derby elands are to be found.
- Garamba: Since Junce the NGO has successfully stabilized the situation after a loss of 3 rangers and 100 known elephants carcasses.
- Akagera: Lions population has doubled in less than two years after the big cat reintroduction.
- Odzala: Efforts are pursued to control the bushmeat crisis in the Central Africa wilderness.
- Liwonde/Majete/Nkhotakota: Big game species and elephants translocation to Nkhotakota project phase 1 was a major success.
- Liuwa: Large predators continue to recover in this park holding the second largest wildebeest migration in the world.
- Banweuleu: Plans are underway to reintroduce game species.
Plans are underway at Ennedi (Chad), Pendjari (Benin), Bazaruto (Mozambique), Buffalo Springs and Shaba (Kenya) to ad new adquisitations to the portfolio. The Ethiopian authorities blocked the NGO bank accounts and plans are compromised at Gambella.

Has anyone got a comment on this proposed itinerary for a family trip to Malawi next year? There will be 4 of us and our initial thoughts are to go early/mid June? We like this because it’s a nice mix of the bush, the beach & a chance to see something of Malawi, plus, it’s “linear” - flying into Lilongwe & out of Blantyre so avoids back tracking. We’ll have a driver for all the transfers & to take us “sightseeing” both en-route and around Zomba.
Day 1: Arrive Lilongwe airport & light-aircraft transfer to Nkhotakota (Bua River Lodge for 2 nights) – game drives, walks etc, right in the elephant translocation area.
Day 3: Transfer to Salima Bay (Livingstonia Hotel) ~2½hrs - on the bank of Lake Malawi & there is a cichlid breeding centre nearby
Day 4: Transfer to Mumbo Island 3-4hrs including boat transfer, 10km offshore in Lake Malawi, for 3 nights of relaxation, kayaking, sailing & snorkelling. Mua Mission cultural museum is en-route.
Day 7: Transfer to Liwonde NP (Mvuu camp for 3 nights) ~4½hrs including boat transfer –game drives , boat trips, walks including in the Rhino Sanctuary
Day 10: Transfer to Zomba Plateau (Zomba Forest Lodge for 2 nights) ~2½hrs – the old colonial administration centre +, from the top of the plateau, “the best views in the British Empire”.
Day 12: Transfer to Majete Wildlife Reserve (Thawale Lodge for 3 nights) ~2¾hrs – a final fix of game drives , boat trips and walks.
Day 15: Transfer to Blantyre airport <2hrs for international flight home
All feedback appreciated
Thanks

Here is May APN monthly report:
https://africanparksupdate5.org
New cubs in Akagera National Park, Rwanda, raising the current population of lions to 14 animals, including 7 cubs.
A new strategy to limit elephant poaching at Garamba National Park, DRC.
Preparation of a massive elephant (and big game) translocation in Malawi.
Securing 3000 km2 at Chinko, CAR.

Here is the last report from APN. As far as I know, there was no release for March.
https://africanparksupdate3.org
Great news for Zakouma where the last census/Survey concluded to an increase of large game species, with more than 80 elephants calves seen since 2014.
The NGO is about to share the results of Liuwa census in the following weeks.
Lion cubs seen in Akagera.
Wild dogs, lions and large giant eland herds spotted at Chinko.
At Garamba, the situation is bleak, but APN is trying to raise further funds to reinforce staffing, and develop new tactics, to halt elephant poaching which is on the increase.

I would like to share the february 2016 APN monthly report.
New elephant poaching cases in Liwonde and Garamba, where giraffe and elephant collaring were underway.
In Zakouma, some few sightings of cheetah in the Eastern side of the park.
Preparation of the massive elephant translocation in Malawi and rhinos reintroduction in Akagera.
http://africanparksupdate2.org